Monday, December 2, 2013

B*tches of Brooklyn & Giveaway



Today we have a giveaway and an interview with the author of B*TCHES OF BROOKLYN author, Rosemary Harris. The giveaway includes a tote bag, plastic champagne glasses, a tank top and a copy of the book (see photo below). To enter, just comment below. And now for our interview with Rosemary Harris: 

MP: Where did you get the idea for B*TCHES OF BROOKLYN?
Rosemary: Three years ago some friends and I had an all-girls weekend and one of our pals didn't show up. Happily, she didn't run off with one of our men, but over wine we speculated on where she really was. Working overtime as it happened, but I decided to give her a more adventurous weekend!


Mystery Playground: Which one of your characters from this book is your absolute favorite? Tell us why.
Rosemary: I hate to have to choose - it's like choosing which of your children you like best! If forced, I would probably say Tina Ruggiero. She's funny and confident - although sometimes that confidence is an act.  Attractive, but not gorgeous, she has a smart mouth and has been accused of being the reason that the group earned its nickname -the Bitches - in high school.  Tina is a teacher, newly married, and her first book is soon to be released. She'll need all her confidence for that.





Mystery Playground: What is your main character's favorite cocktail?  

Rosemary: Four of these gals consume a fair amount of wine in the book  - not really to excess, it's a stressful time.  I'd say Tina's favorite drink is Prosecco. It's light, fizzy and Italian - like her.

 
Mystery Playground: Share your favorite paragraph from the book. Why it is your favorite? 
Rosemary: It's so hard to pick just one paragraph  because each paragraph in a book has a different job to do - but I'll try.
"The odds of Abby running off with Tomato Bob were about equal to the odds of George Clooney ringing their doorbell and asking to borrow a cup of sugar. Buck Naked. Jane's boyfriend was another story. Vincenzo Palmieri was drop-dead gorgeous. He was five years younger. Italian. From Italy. With those qualities he could have been an organ grinder or professional balloon artist and women still would have wanted to run away with him. That he could cook was an enormous plus."
I like the tone of this paragraph. It's funny, a little snarky. Poor Tomato Bob. But he might be more interesting than the women think.


Mystery Playground: Tell us something about Brooklyn that we don't already know. 
Rosemary: People know - or think they know - so much about Brooklyn. I've recently joined a Facebook page called I Grew Up in Brooklyn where people share reminiscences. It's a crack-up, I go there every day and inevitably someone posts something  that has me ROFLMAO. (Does anyone remember that acronym?)

Okay - you may not know these - Woody Allen went to my high school (Midwood, not when I was there. ;-) Al Capone, Vince Lombardi and Moe Howard were all born in Brooklyn. And this you definitely don't know - Barbra Streisand used to babysit for a good pal. In fact, that friend was one of the B*tches at the reunion that inspired the book.




About Rosemary Harris
Rosemary Harris is a native Brooklynite, like some of the characters in The B*tches of Brooklyn.  A former bookstore manager and television executive, she’s the author of the Dirty Business mystery series featuring amateur sleuth Paula Holliday. Her debut novel, the Agatha and Anthony-nominated,Pushing Up Daisies (Minotaur), was followed by The Big Dirt Nap, Dead Head and Slugfest.  The B*tches of Brooklyn is the first in a new series. Rosemary is past president of Mystery Writers of America’s NY Chapter and Sisters in Crime’s New England Chapter.

She lives in New York City and Fairfield County, CT.
A big thank you to Rosemary for the giveaway and the interview and to Lori at Great Escape Book Tours. 
  Don't forget to enter the giveaway by making a comment below. 


The giveaway is now over. Congratulations to our winner -- DebbieC

20 comments:

  1. I love Rosemary's Dirty Business books. I'll read anything she writes!

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  2. What a wonderful giveaway and an interesting and lovely interview. thanks for this feature. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  3. Rosemary - thank you for the interview and the great giveaway.

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  4. I enjoyed learning about Rosemary and her writing. This giveaway is special. thanks. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  5. Great interview, but much too short!

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  6. I love her books and I've met her at several conferences and she's always been so nice.

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  7. I love her books and NY. My mother was born in Brooklyn lol. So have some links lol. Really hope I'm lucky

    debredevil@yahoo.com

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  8. I cannot get enough of Rosemary's books !!! I love how she interacts characters from her previous books into The Bitches book.....even if just for a glimpse. Her books are a fast page turning, dont want to put it down till its over, hate when its over kind of read.

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  9. Hi ladies,
    Thanks for all the kind words! And a shout-out to Kim and Missi. If you haven't met The B*tches I hope you will check out the excerpt on my website to see if you like them.
    http://rosemaryharris.com/bitchesofbrooklyn_excerpt.html
    Busy working on book six but having fun socializing online (as opposed to talking to myself and the dog in my office..) Thanks so much Deborah and Lori for making it happen!

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    1. You are so welcome, Rosemary. It's a fun post!

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    2. If it weren't for the dogs and cat I'd have no one to talk to all day! :)

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  10. Love Rosemary's books! I've read them all, and will gladly share this interview and giveaway on Facebook.

    Paula Matter

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    1. Thanks Paula. Don't forget to check back and see if you've won/

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  11. Looking forward to enjoying a new author! Adding to my 'Santa' list and LOVED the interview! NKK

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  12. Another author I'd love to read ! Thanks for the introduction!

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  13. Oh I can't wait to read this - thanks for the blog post! Sounds like a great book to read for my book club.

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  14. Thanks, all - and Amy, if you do decide to read it for your book club we could chat or Skype..

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  15. I enjoyed this post and interview so much! The paragraph was terrific and all the unknown info was really interesting. Looking forward to adding Ms Harris' books to my collection.

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  16. looking to read a new author and this new book, sounds like a lot of people here have enjoyed the writing of the past books very much.

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